Susan Detwiler

Susan Diane (Hutchins) Detwiler

Of Southbridge, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2023.

Susan was born on January 21, 1951, in Waukegan, Illinois, to Robert Hudson Hutchins and Phyllis L. Bergstrom Hutchins.  She grew up in Waukegan and Libertyville, Illinois, and then moved to Needham, Massachusetts with her parents and brothers in 1966.  Susan graduated from Needham High School in 1969 and left New England to study English at the University of Missouri, but eventually returned to Massachusetts.  She loved to read and passed that love along to her children and grandchildren, who always knew they would find books under the Christmas tree or Barnes & Noble gift cards in their stockings.

Music was important to Susan and affected her deeply.  As a young woman, one of her prized possessions was her guitar.  She loved to sing and enjoyed all kinds of music, from Broadway musicals to Classical to Rock and Roll.  She often sang with her daughters just for fun, and she wept when John Lennon was killed.

Susan was a fastidious and meticulous bookkeeper and kept detailed accounts of everything in her personal life, as well as in her role in accounting at Fontaine Masonry Restoration, Inc, and during her time as Project Coordinator at Monaco Historical Restorations, the two positions that were the bulk of her career for 25 years.  Her family would often tease her about the stack of notebooks in her home office.

As important as books, music, and her work were to her, Susan's true calling was art and she pursued many artistic endeavors throughout her years, including crochet, macrame, decoupage, and especially quilting.  She was a gifted seamstress and designed and sewed quilts, clothing, handbags, and even Christmas ornaments, which her family lovingly called Nanaments.  Many of her family members have one or more of her beautiful quilts with her design label, beachplumjamquilts, and homemade cards for every holiday with her label of beachplumjamnotes.

In 2019 she joined the Cornerstone Quilter's Guild in Charlton, Massachusetts and quickly jumped into a board member role, taking photos, heading up their Facebook activity, and maintaining the guild's website. She found great joy participating in the quilting world with so many like-minded and creative women.

In addition to quilting, Susan enjoyed Hallmark movies, crossword puzzles, gardening, collecting colorful Fiesta dinnerware, canning applesauce, jams, and salsa, and attempting to learn new languages.  She often peppered her speech with random words in German, French, Swedish, Gaelic, or even sign language with sometimes hilarious results.

Susan built a warm and cozy home for herself and her family through her sewing, cooking, books, and music and her home was her favorite place on earth.  She was also a follower of Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy.  Her home and her faith gave her strength in difficult times.

Susan was preceded by her parents, Bob and Phyllis, and is survived by the love of her life, her partner of 30 years, John (Jake) Jacobs of Southbridge; two daughters, Adrienne  H. Detwiler and her husband Robert Hulett of Columbia, Missouri, and Alexandra H. Christgen and her husband Korey of Woodstock Valley, Connecticut; three brothers, Jeffrey D. Hutchins and his wife Karen of Medfield, Paul D. Hutchins

 and his wife Sheila of Brockton, and Charles D. Hutchins and his wife Iana of Fall River.  She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Chase, William, Cassandra, Lucas, and Joshua; her aunt Dorothy L. Hutchins of Montana; many cousins, nieces, and nephews; and her three beloved cats, Mo, Lulu, and Soyeux.

Susan requested a celebration of life be held in her honor as opposed to traditional funeral services and that her ashes be scattered.  She will be greatly missed. The Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, 48 School St., Webster has been entrusted with her arrangements.  A guest book is available at www.shaw-majercik.com where you may post a condolence or light a candle.

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